PANSTADIA & ARENA MANAGEMENT WINTER 2013/14
NORTH AMERICA SUPPLEMENT
football homes T
here is an assumption that any commentary on Canadian
sports venues will automatically and immediately focus on the hockey venue especially in light of the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sochi. However, there is a current move towards improving the quality of stadiums in Canada and we are seeing some interesting directions being explored.
Canadian football has many similarities to its American counterpart but there are a few changes that have a significant impact on the design. Canadian football is played on a larger field with much longer end zones. While the American field is 100 yards long with an additional 10 yard end zone, the Canadian field is 110 yards long with a 20 yard end zone.
This larger field of play is problematic in terms of creating the kind of intimate stadium that we see for soccer, and is complicated by the fact that Canadian football audiences are smaller than their American or European counterparts. As a result spectators are grouped on the sides of a very long field with little appetite for sitting behind the end zones. The combination of spectator capacity and placement has created an audience environment that is often less exciting than stadiums in other countries.
The most spectacular stadium in Canada is the refurbished and re-roofed BC Place Stadium. It is also one of the most intimate, surprising because of its 60,000-seat capacity. Designed primarily for football and soccer, but
Canadian cities and their football teams are busy building new stadiums new stadiums. Conrad Boychuk, Senior Director Recreation and Venue Development, CEI Architecture Planning Interiors, brings us the latest.
also capable of carving out an outfield for baseball, its tight plan comes from its urban location. During the recently completed renovation very little was added to the footprint of the building. The new roof conceived by Schlaich Bergermann working with Geiger Engineers, is the main element that has garnered international attention.
Investors Group Field in Winnipeg opened on 26 May 2013 and is Canada’s newest stadium. It is the first outdoor football venue to be built in recent history. Located on the campus of the University of Manitoba, the stadium was designed by Raymond S C Wan Architect. Winnipeg is one of Canada’s major cities
The remodelling of BC Place has created an intimate atmosphere for two sports. Photo credit: BC Place.
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